Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Has $1.78 Million Stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 68.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,205 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,710 shares during the period. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $1,782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DE. West Family Investments Inc. boosted its stake in Deere & Company by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 771 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Premier Fund Managers Ltd lifted its position in Deere & Company by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd now owns 30,899 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,918,000 after buying an additional 1,693 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,120,000. MWA Asset Management lifted its position in Deere & Company by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. MWA Asset Management now owns 8,209 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,426,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Deere & Company by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 3,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,396,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Shares of DE opened at $479.73 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The company has a market capitalization of $130.20 billion, a PE ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $470.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $435.32. Deere & Company has a one year low of $340.20 and a one year high of $515.05.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 27.31%. As a group, analysts expect that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.35%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 28.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of Deere & Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total transaction of $12,304,993.80. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 74,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. The trade was a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on DE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 1st. Baird R W downgraded shares of Deere & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Argus set a $510.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $510.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Deere & Company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $460.00.

About Deere & Company

Deere & Co engages in the manufacture and distribution of equipment used in agriculture, construction, forestry, and turf care. It operates through the following segments: Agriculture and Turf, Construction and Forestry, and Financial Services. The Agriculture and Turf segment focuses on the distribution and manufacture of a full line of agriculture and turf equipment and related service parts.